Carbon sheet support for writing machines



Aug. 17, 1937.

w. A. PRINGLE CARBON SHEET SUPPORT FOR WRITING MACHINES Filed March 20, 1935 Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,089,982 v cannon sane-r surroa'r FOR warrmc moms William A. Pringle, Niagara Falls, N. Y., assilnor to American Sales Book Company, Inc., Niagara Falls, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 20, 1935, Serial No. 12,030-

8 Claims.

This invention relates "to improvements in manifolding machines, such as autographic registers, in connection with which it is herein disclosed, and with reference to some of its more particular features, the invention relates to improvements in means for supporting, housing and controlling the transfer orcarbon supply which is utilized in making transfer inscriptions.

It is a general object of the invention to provide, in machines of the class mentioned, an improved arrangement for housing and controlling the supply of transfer material and providing for its extension from a source of supply into position for interleavement in transfer relation with the record-receiving strips over the Writing platen.

A further and more particular object of the invention is to provide for machines of the class mentioned an improved carrier for the carbon supply movable into operative position in which the supply is housed, and protected, and also into an exposed position wherein the supply is conveniently positioned for adjustment and in which the supply may be conveniently renewed.

According to another feature of improvement, the carbon carrier is normally positioned within the walls or casing of the machine in which the supply is housed and protected. and is easily and quickly movable into position for convenient acor for renewal thereof.

According to anotherfeature of improvement,

the carbon carrier is mounted in a novel manner upon a movably mounted platen for movement with the latter. and is positioned wholly within the side walls of the machine when the platen is adjusted to operative position. Y Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of the carbon carrier wherein a carbon housing is provided having an opening through which the vsupply may be received, the opening being positioned so as to be closed by a wall of the machine when the carrier is adjusted into operative position.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved spring-pressed holding device for supporting the carbon supply in position within the carbon carrier and to provide improved means for controlling the withdrawal of the carbon strips from the supply.

A further object is to provide an improved platen constructionior machines of the class mentioned and being provided with an improved 55 arrangement for supporting and controlling the cess either for adjustment of the carbon supply carbon supply and holding it in transfer position over the platen.

Other objects ofthe invention will be in part pointed out in the following detailed description of an illustrative-but preferred embodiment of the invention and will be in part obvious in connection therewith. v

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be .exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a more complete disclosure of the nature and objects of the invention, reference is had to.

the following detailed description and to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of the improved arrangement ,of the support and control for the carbon strips and carbon strip supply mounted in a preferred manner on the platen plate of a writing machine, said plate being shown as removed from the machine;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the general arrangement of the improvements as applied to a writing machine of the autogr'aphic register type;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, vertical section substantially on' the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. l; and i Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation showing the connections for mounting the platen upon the frame of the machine.

Referring to the drawing for a detailed description of the illustrative embodiment there shown, a platen unit In is mounted in the casing H of a writing machine of the autographic register type such as shownin the Johnston Patent No. 1,658,127, issued February 7, 1928. The casing structure and the arrangement of the record stripfeeding mechanism therein may be of any preferred form of the general nature of the Johnston structure. A feed roll housing L2 is mounted upon the machine, and the cover I3 is pivotally or otherwise connected at its forward end adjacent to the roll housing so as to move upwardly as shown in Fig; 2, away from its normal operative position in which it is disposed" substantially in the plane of the upper edges of the casing walls. The cover may be pivotally mounted upon the roll housing or in some other preferred manner.

The record strip feeding mechanism is 'pref-' erably' supported in a supporting frame l4 mounted within the casing and the platen unit II 'is shown as being movably connected to this frame by a supporting link structure II. The platen unit "is herein disclosed as of a special structure including a forwardly disposed platen plate It providing a flat, smooth surface for supporting the record strips in inscription-receiving position. Theinscriptions are ordinarily entered by manual means through an opening in the cover l3. The rearward end of theplaten unit is depressed from the level of the platen plate It providing a space in which a record strip controlling and tensioning device may be installed. Record strips 8 of the long continuous traveler type in superposed manifoldlng relation with each other may pass from a strip supply within a supply compartment in the casing over the rearward, rounded guiding terminal ll of the platen unit. The strips thence pass through the controlling and tensioning unit (not shown) over the platen and through the strip-feeding mechanism. The strip supply is preferably in the form of transversely zigzag folded record strips forming a flat pack which may be conveniently inserted in the supply compartment. The mounting link It for the platen unit is attached to the under side of the latter by brackets II,

and the link itself is preferably formed from a metallic rod extending transversely of the platen and having its opposite ends bent at right angles to the rod to form the supporting links I! which are provided with connecting extensions ll adapted to enter apertures in the frame members ll or to be otherwise secured to the latter. I

In its normal operative position, the platen li lies in flat, horizontal position near the upper part of the casing, its forward end resting upon and being supported by the frame members ll, while the rearward end of the platen unit may be supported in any appropriate manner in the casing. It will thus be seen that the platen mounting provided by the links It enables the platen unit. to be swung upwardly from its normal operative position within the 5 casing and also to be translated bodily in a rearward direction so that the rearward end of the unit may rest upon the upper edge of the casing Ii.

Mounted upon the underside of the platen unit is a carbon and transfer strip supply carrier indicated generally at 20 and in the embodiment shown being positioned directly beneath the platen l6 and connected thereto by means of a flange 2| which may be spot-welded or otherwise secured to the platen plate. The carbon supply carrier is provided with a lower horizontal wall and a vertical wall, but its front side is preferably left open as shown in order to provide an entrance passageway through which the supply roll 'may be received. The platen 5 plate It overlies the supply compartment so as to provide the upper wall therefor, its outer edge being rounded to provide a guide 22 over which the carbon strips C are guided and di- 55 rected from the supply compartment into trans,-

fer relation between the record strips 8 over the writing surface of the platen.

v It will be noticed that the open side or entrance passageway of the carbon supply compartment is positioned close'to the adjacent side wall of the register casing Ii whereby said wall forms a closure for the compartment when the platen unit is in its normal horizontal operative position. By'means of this arrangement the carhon supply C is housed and protected from extraneous influences when the parts are in normal operative position. However, when the platen is moved upwardly on its supporting links II,

the entrance passageway is uncovered and the supply compartment rendered accessible for the insertion of fresh supply or for adjustments, and the like.

At or near its forward end, the platen plate I! is provided with a downwardly turned plate forming an end wall 28 for the carbon supply housing which is provided on its inner surface with a supporting stud or pin 24 for supporting the adjacent end of the carbon supply spool. The opposite end wall of the supply housing is formediby the downturned plate 26 preferably integral with the platen plate as shown. This end wall 25 has an opening through which the supporting stem 26 extends into the supply compartment. At its forward end the supporting stem has a supporting stud or pin 21 opposing the stud 24, the carbon supply spool 32 being supported at its opposite. ends by these studs. At its rearward end the supporting stem 26 is disposed within the housing formed therefor by the housing plate 28 attached to the platen unit in alignment with the aperture in the end plate 25. A follower plate 29 is mountedupon the forward end of the supporting stem 26, preferably abutting at one side against the adjacent surface of the stud 21. For mounting the follower plate upon the supporting stem, the stud 21 may be formed with a screw-threaded extension passing through an opening in ,the follower plate and engaging internal threads in an aperture in the adjacent end of the stem. The aperture in the follower plate is preferably of smaller diameter than the diameter of the stem 26, thus promount it for longitudinal reciprocatory sliding movement within the supply compartment. The downwardly turned guiding flange 22 overlies the upper edge of the follower plate to maintain the latter in its operative position, while the lower outer edge of the plate is extended downwardly adjacent the bottom wall of the housing to provide an operating handle 3| whereby the supporting stud and follower plate may be retracted against the opposition of the compression spring 30. a

I The'carbon supply strips C may, as shown, he wound upona supporting spool 32 which may be of appropriate structure to receive the supporting studs 2! and 21 for rotatably supporting the spool. also. a leaf spring 33 is mounted within the housing and is stressed or biased into yielding frictional engagement with the surface of the carbon supply roll C, so as to control and tension the carbon strips as they are pulled forwardly of the supply into position overthe platen. v

At the opposite edge of the platen from the carbon supply support and housing a carbon strip clamp is mounted for supporting engagement with the extended ends of the carbon strips. This clamp is preferably in the form of a metallic spring plate pivotally mounted at 35 upon the The clamping device, as well.

platen plate It. as the carbon supply support and housing, are thus mounted upon the platen unit and move as a unit with the platen when the latter is moved to and from operative position. This clamping bar 34 is normally biased into its longitudinally warped condition as shown in Fig. 3, and is held in its clamping position by means of a clasp 36. when it is desired to insert a carbon supply roll into the support and housing therefor, the cover I3 is moved upwardly and the platen unit in is raised from its operative posi tion into position in which the opening to the housing is exposed above the adjacent side wall of the casing II. In this position the platen unit may rest upon the upper edge of the end wall of the casing to hold' it in accessible position during loading of the supply. The carbon strips extended from the supply roll may be interleaved in transfer relation with the record strips S while the platen is still raised and the extreme ends of the carbon strips clamped in position by means of the spring clamp 34. Thereupon the platen may be lowered again into its operative position within the casing, the open side of the carbon supply housing being substantially closed and protected by the side wall of the casing when the parts are in final operative position. The spring clamping bar 34 provides a very simple and eillcient structure free from bulk or complications, whereby it is well adapted for mounting in the manner described directly upon the platen plate for movement with the latter.

The longitudinally warped spring clamping bar 34 functions advantageously to engage the carbon sheets and to exert a yielding pressure thereon throughout their widths in such a manner as to maintain them in smooth flat extended position free from wrinkles, creases and other irregularities, and assuring the proper positioning of the sheets to effect clear, legible transfer inscriptions. As shown, the clamping bar is preferably warped continuously throughout its sheet engaging extent. Also the convex side of the bar is presented toward the sheets so as, to come into engagement therewith when the bar is moved into clamping position. While the carbon sheets are being adjusted into their correct final transfer positions the clamping bar may be swung to one side on its pivotal support 35 so as not to interfere with the adjusting operations. After the sheets have been adjusted and the bar has been returned to directly overlie the sheet parts with which it is to come into direct engagement,

its free end is pressed downwardly toward the sheets with the result that sheet clamping engagement is initiated at or near the sheet edges disposed toward the bar support 35. Thereupon as the bar is pressed downwardly into straightened e0 clamping position the clamping engagement is extended across the sheets from the point of initial engagement until the sheets are engaged for the entire width thereof, with the result that wrinkles, creases, etc., are avoided and the sheets 55 are firmly but yieldingly engaged throughout the transverse extent thereof. By means of this arrangement the carbon sheets are subsequently maintained in their correct transfer position throughout the inscribing operations. The

70 clamping bar is held in its stressed clamping position by means of the keeper 36.

When the supply roll 0' is being loaded into position the supporting stud 21 may be held in retracted position against the stress of the spring 75 30 by means of a holding lug or shoulder 31 formed by cutting away the end portion of the flange 22. Upon retraction of the follower plate it can be moved outwardly slightly when positioned back of the shoulder 31 so as to engage the latter to hold the stud 21 in retracted posi-,

tion during insertion of the new supply spool, whereupon the plate is released'from the shoulder and thestud permitted to move into supporting engagement with the spool."

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A supply device for machines of the character described including, in combination, a casing for the machine, a platen, a supply carrier positioned beneath the plane of the platen and within said casing, a mounting link having pivotal connection with both the platen and the machine for mounting said platen for bodily movement into operative position and into raised inoperative position in which it is supported by the machine, and said supply carrier being connected to said platen for movement therewith into exposed position for convenient access when the platen is raised on said link.

' 2. A supply device. for machines of the character described including, in combination, a casing for the machine, a platen, a supply carrier positioned beneath the plane of the platen and within said casing, a mounting link having pivotal connection with both the platen and the machine for mounting said platen for bodily movement into operative position and into raised inoperative position in which it is supported by the machine, and said supply carrier being connected to said platen for movement therewith into exposed position for convenient access when the platen is raised on said link, said carrier having a compartment receiving the carbon supply and having a receiving opening positioned to lie'close' to a wall of the casing which provides a closure therefor when the carrier is in operative position but uncovers the opening incident to carrier movement, and a spring follower plate slidably mounted within said compartment and supporting the carbon supply and having an operating handle accessible only when the carrier is raised.

3. A supply device for machines of the character described including, in combination, a casing for the machine, a carbon supply carrier connected to the machine for movement to a position within said casing for housing the supply and to an exposed position for convenient access, said carrier having a compartment receiving the carbon supply and having a receiving opening positioned to lie close to a wall of the casing which provides a closure therefor when the carrier is in operative position but uncovers said opening incident to carrier movement, a carbon supply supporting member having an elongated longitudinally movable supporting stem, means for yieldingly urging said supporting member into supply supporting position, a follower plate connected to said supporting stem and being slidably mounted for longitudinal movement within said receiving compartment, a guiding flange extending along said compartment and engaging said follower plate to guide and retain the latter in its sliding movements, a handle on said 101- lower plate for retracting it in opposition to said yielding meansand a retaining lug for retaining said supporting stem in retracted position.

4. A supply device for machines of the character described including, in combination, a casing for the machine, a platen, a supply carrier positioned beneath the plane of the platen and within said casing, means for mounting said platen for movement into operative and inoperative positions, said supply carrier having a walled receiving compartment and being connected to said platen for movement therewith into exposed position for convenient access, a carbon supply supporting member having an elongated longitudinally movable supporting stem, means for yieldingly urging said supporting member into supply supporting position, a follower plate attached to said stem and being supported through direct sliding engagement with the walls of said compartment for movement therealong, and a handle at the outer edge of said follower plate for moving said stem in opposition to said yielding means. v I o 5. A supply device for machines of the character described including, in combination, a casing for the machine, a carbon supply carrier swingably connected to the machine for movement to a position within said casing for housing the supply and to an exposed position for convenient access, said carrier having a compartmentreceiving the carbon supply and having a receiving opening positioned to lie close to a wall of the easing which provides a closure therefor when the carrier is in operative position but uncovers the opening incident to carrier movement, a carbon supply supporting member having an elongated longitudinally movable supporting stem, means for yieldingly urging said supporting member into supply supporting position, a supporting follower plate connected to said supporting member and slidably engaging in supporting relation with the wall of said carbon supply compartment, and a handle connected to said follower plate and being swingable with the supply carrier so as to be accessible for operation only when said carrier is swung to its exposed position.

6. A supply device for machines of the character described including, in combination, a casing for the machine, a carbon supply carrier connected to the machine for movement to a position within said casing for housing the supply and to an exposed'position for convenient access, said carrier having a compartment receiving the carbon supply and having a receiving opening positioned to lie close to a wall of the casing which provides a closure therefor when the carrier is in operative position but uncovers said opening incident to carrier movement, a carbon supply supporting member having an elongated longitudinally movable supporting stem, means for yieldingly urging said supporting member into supply supporting position, a supporting follower plate connected to said supporting member and slidably engaging in supporting relation with the wall of said carbon supply compartment, and a retaining lug positioned for holding engagement with said follower plate for holding said supportingmember in retracted position.

'7. A carbon supply device including, in combination, a carrier for a carbon supply roll having a roll-engaging supporting member, an elongated supporting stem connected to said supporting member and mounted for longitudinal movement, resilient means yieldingly urging the supporting member into roll-supporting position, a slidably mounted follower plate connected for supporting said stem and supporting member, said follower plate being connected to the stem adjacent to said supporting member and engaging said resilient 'means, a spring plate mounted on said carrier and biased for engagement with the roll periphery to control and tension carbon strip withdrawal, a handle on one edge of said follower plate for moving the latter in opposition to said resilient means, and a holding lug engageable with said follower plate for holding the latter inopposition to said resilient means.

8. A supply device for machines of the character described including, in combination, a casing for the machine, a platen, a supply carrier positioned beneath the plane of the platen and within said casing, a mounting link having pivotal connection with both the platen and the machine for mounting said platen for bodily movement into operative position and into raised inoperative position in which it is supported by the machine, and said supply carrier being connected to said platen for movement therewith into exposed position for convenient access when the platen is raised on said link, said supply carrier having a walled receiving compartment, a carbon supply supporting member having an elongated longitudinally movable supporting stem, means for yieldingly urging said supporting member into supply supporting position, a follower plate attached to said stem and bein supported through direct sliding engagement with the walls of said compartment for movement therealong, and a handle at the outer edge of said follower plate for moving said stem in opposition to said yielding means.

WILLIAM A. PRINGLE. 

